Best Burgers in São Paulo: X-Burger to Bauru

The best burgers in São Paulo concentrate in the west and south-central districts: Pinheiros and Vila Madalena for burger bars, Itaim Bibi and Jardins for upscale kitchens, and Moema for neighbourhood spots. Brazil’s largest city runs two burger cultures side by side: the gourmet hamburgueria, and the corner lanchonete with its X-burger.

The X-burger owes its name to the Portuguese pronunciation of the English word cheese, which sounds like the letter X. Lanchonetes stretch it into the X-salada, the X-bacon and the X-tudo, loaded with egg, ham and whatever else fits on the griddle. São Paulo also has its own historic sandwich, the bauru: roast beef, tomato, pickled cucumber and melted cheese in French bread, created at Ponto Chic, a bar open on Largo do Paissandu since 1922. At the Mercado Municipal, the towering mortadella sandwich is the other local pilgrimage.

Burgers in São Paulo: key facts

• Neighbourhoods to explore: Pinheiros, Vila Madalena, Itaim Bibi, Jardins and Moema.
• Local styles: the gourmet hamburgueria burger and the lanchonete X-burger family.
• Local specialty: the bauru, recognised as intangible cultural heritage of São Paulo state.
• Getting around: Metro Line 4-Yellow stops at Fradique Coutinho and Faria Lima, both in Pinheiros.
• Currency: Brazilian real (BRL).

Every guide we publish on São Paulo is dated and lists only venues, addresses, prices and ratings we could verify. For other cities in Brazil and beyond, see our burger restaurant guides.